Summer 2006 (II)
29th May - 31st May - Edinburgh
reached Edinburgh late last nite. Edinburgh is an ancient medieval city, with the infamous Edinburgh University, well known for English Lit. Edinburgh is a lovely city, beautiful weather where the sun only sets at 11pm. nice. impressive scottish highlands, the occasion busker wearing scottish kilts blowing bagpipes along Princess Walk. the scones with strawberry jam and sweet cotted cream is simply sinful yet divine at the same.. oo00oo.. 
that's my host family, Angie and Pastor Edwyn with their 2 daughters. spent my days in Edinburgh visiting the Edinburgh castle, an adjacent whisky factory and exploring the medieval city. Marks and Spencer's very big, with plenty of chocolates, toffees and fresh produce. i prefer Tesco and ASDA though.. cheaper and wider range of goods.
1st - 3rd June - Dinard, Brittany
flew to Dinard at noon. the main objective of going to Brittany was to visit Mont St Michel and its majestic abbey. unfortunately, the bus from Dinard to Mont St Michel departs daily at 10am, which i missed on 2 June and i was scheduled to leave for Paris in the afternoon on 3 June, which translates into being unable to visit Mont St Michel... sigh!!! 
however, all is not lost! Dinard and its nearby St Malo has plenty of seafood restaurants selling mussels stewed in white wine, savoury crepes of cheese and ham and fresh raw oyters.. double those up with hugh pints of ripe strawberries... oo00oo..
the beaches of Dinard are pretty clean, the waters are clear, that you can see the seaweed in them. of coz, due to the cold breeze, there ain't many people sun tanning. most were wearing a light jacket. nothing compares to Koh Samui. warm fine sand, turquoise waters, rich marine life.. and it's alwiz sunny =D
3rd -6th June -Paris
Paris was pretty alright. although it's a very cosmopolitan city, it's also the least impressive of all the cities. the Metro's eternally packed, though the intervals between the rides are short. the service staff ain't friendly or helpful. contrary to that cold unfriendliness, the people in rural France such as Champagne and Dijon are really warm and helpful.
i went cycling in Champagne on 5th June. my bike's chain came loose, i didn't know how to fix it back. had to seek help from a man painting the walls of the tourist office and he did help me!!! by the way, i do not speak a single word of french except "Bonjour, Au Revoir" and "Merci Beaucoup"...
the Eiffel looks.. horrendous from near. it's this huge mess of steel. however from afar, it looks pretty elegant. Arc de Triomphe was alright.. well.. there's many many arcs in Paris city so nothing THAT impressive. the Louvre was packed with tourists and locals on the 
Sunday i went due to free entry, hence had to queue for 1.5hrs =/ the frescoes were painted on the ceiling.. doesn't take more than 3mins to give me a neck strain. Napolean had really huge stones on his crowns, plus excellent pearls for Josephine. Mona Lisa was... ermm.. quite small. those we've seen on the media have been blown up a gazillion times really. framed in a very big wall... it's kinda.. disappointing.
Notre Dame was really big. with intricate architectural details with very dark interior. nothing very exciting. Eiffel Tower at nite... glitters but otherwise, stil the same. something's lacking but never mind.. can't put my finger to it. 
maybe it's something in the air...
Post-trip evaluation
i'll want to go back to Italy, especially to Venezia and Tuscany. love the sun.
Dijon and Rhone Valley is a must!!! the wines are... intoxicating and affordable.
Paris would be only for the museums.
Switzerland is just... expensive. a can of mixed vege cost S$4+... ouch.
London and Edinburgh... i love (minus the pounding headaches from the GBP).
Summer 2006
19th May - to Charles De Gaulles
a much anticipated trip. first time to europe. been looking forward to it for a good 6mths..
very excited!!! long long flight with transit at Bangkok. did i mention i can't sleep? economy class seats ain't that comfortable but.. i'll make do! there's alwiz the air stewardess to bully! =D
20th May - Paris - Dijon, Burgundy
rushed on TGV at Gare de Lyon to Dijon. first time taking a high speed train. so excited!!! the french coutryside is really breath-taking. lush greenery, gentle rolling hills, never-ending fields of bright yellow mustard flowers, the occasional rustic village chapel and brown cows... wow. 
though having deprieved of more than 18hrs of sleep.. i was stil in good spirits (surprisingly). dropped off luggage at the hostel and off i went to Beaune! a nearby market place village, cleverly crafted to suit tourism. got to sample many red wines there... the french pies with pate were quite nice too! light fluffy fillo pastry skin... very buttery!
21st May - cycling to Marsonnay
rented a bike. cycled about 10km to the village of Marsonnay, past housing estates, a canal and city park. lovely day. going uphill's a torture. viticulture's the predominent agricultural activity in 
Marsonnay, plots and plots of vineyards fill the open pastures. the soil's a mixture of clay and lime. went to Chateau d'Marsonnay to sample their wines.. wow.. the premier cru's bouquet is fruity; medium bodied with a rich velvety texture, aroma of cassis and elderflowers with a long supple finish. the way back to Dijon was alot more effortless and faster. going downhill. only took 30mins!
my only regret? was to not have my red wines freighted home =( can't seem to find them in Singapore...
that night, 
dinner was superb! had burgungy beef stew and 2 rounds of escargots... oo00oo... yummy... and guess where? at a local pub! wine in France's really cheap and of excellent quality, especially if you make a trip to the Chateau itself.
22nd May - Dijon- Lyon- Chamberay- Milan - Rome
effectively, i spent my entire day on the train. Chamberay is this pretty small town along the French Alps border, spotted with Swiss cottages, steep sloping roofs, flower boxes at the windows and snow-capped mountains in the 
background. that's the first time i saw the Alps or snow-capped mountains with grey slopes... awesome! was looking outta the train, on one side is the Chamberay chalets, on the other side is this steep slope, with old vineyards. wow..
upon arrival in Milan, first thing i saw was.. plenty of Chinese (hereby reffering to China people). and a Beijing hot pot restaurant poster!!! thought i was in China.. Italy's train service's quite inefficient. scheduled to depart for Rome at 5.10pm, train only came in at 5pm, finally departed at 5.30pm and crawled all the way to Rome via Firenze. along the way, we had this really friendly Italian ah-pek going to Napoli for company. he kept speaking to us in Italiano, sign language and offered us lots of snacks. gracia! you made the journey alot better!
23rd May - Rome city
did nothing much but walked around Rome. went to the Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, and an open square which serves excellent chocolate gelato! the lush green park with aged trees, giant columns and well-manicures hedgerows in the park behind the Spanish Steps is quite romantic. walked lots around the city. in retrospect, it was really enjoyable. Rome's traffic really heavy and the air's not exactly clean. the city's packed left, right and center with tourists!!!
but despite the inconveniences, i'll love to go back there again.
24th May - Rome, Vatican
attended a session with the Pope at noon and received blessings. very happy! how many people can meet the Pope 'live' in their lifetime?!?! together with the bishops, cardinals and Swiss guards. unfortunately due to the audience session, St. Peter's Bascilica was closed for security reasons. wanted to adjourn to the Cappella Sistina for the afternoon but... the queue was horribly long!!! snaked across 4 streets under the blazing sun. hence the decision to go... shopping!!! the branded leather goods such as Coccinelle and Furla's alot cheaper than in Singapore. feels damn good! no, i didn't buy anything in Rome except a dress from a local boutique. c'mon, even if the Furla's cheaper, it's not like THAT cheap (relative to individual's disposable income.) hahaha! but not before i went to the Vatican's poste italia to post a card home, with the Vatican postal stamp! 
made friends with the Italian ah-pek working at the Rome train station's Moka Cafe. went there for breakfast, lunch and dinner. and the ah-pek's at the pasta stand all day. jovial old man with great attitude for service. he serves me pomodoro-tuna penne when i order pomodoro penne.. =P without charging me for the tuna. ohh.. his pork medallions, insalata verde with mozzeralla cheese's great too!
only regret? didn't get to visit Raphael's rooms and/or admire the frescoes of the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel.
25th May - overnight train to Milan - to Geneva
train ride was Milan to Geneva was quite fun. shared the same cabin with this Singaporean Auntie who lives in Switzerland for 6months each year. she's married to a Swiss nationale. retired in her early fifties. cool right?...
the ride throught the Alps was scenic. no, no sights of cows with bells or hill slopes of Edelweiss. no snow capped mountains either. c'mon! it's summer and the snow's melting. pity pity. 
no cute St Bernards too..
dropped my stuff at the hostel and went to walk around. supermarches thou state their closing time as 19 30 were in effect closed at 17 30... hmm.. cheese fondue... isn't THAT nice. overdose.
26th May - Lake Geneva
went to Lake Geneva. beautiful day! clear blue skies, plenty of sunshine and soft breeze.. life's good. perfect day for flying!!! spent the day idling by the lake; rolling on the soft green carpet grass; watching people, furry dogs and children go by. many people were sailing, the water's very clear!!! very enjoyable to take time out, make no plans, do nothing, go nowhere, and appreciate Life =) feels rejuvenating to just take a break from hectic work days. 
then walked down to visit the nearby university, the surrounding park and the Red Cross HQ (not that exciting). on my stroll back, there's this hot blonde babe in mini-skirt and boots strolling around... woah.. all the guys were ogling at her!!! but guess what? she was walking this freakin monstrous rottwelier with a big head!!! hahah!!!
then picked up a Movenpick Summer Limited Edition Citrone and Elderberry ice cream on the way back from the indian provision shop. wow... the ice cream's heavenly. light lemon zest, refreshing with a swirl of elderberry conserve. oo00oo... don't think can find in Singapore thou =/ okay, i love ice cream. who doesn't??? =P
27th May - London!!!
flew to London (Luton). met up Zhang, Annis, Ax and the other Rafflesians working at Credit Suisse, London. had a superb chinese dinner at Four Seasons Restaurant, Bays Water! roast duck.. chinese green.. claypot aubergines etc... oo00oo... plus hot steamy rice!!! simply divine!!! the roast duck was Mike's eternal love. a must-have everytime he's in London. the Brit duck doesn't have this poultry stench, unlike those in Singapore. plus the meat was tender and juicy.. fragrant with star anise and spices.. oo00oo..
realized how much i missed steamed rice while i was in Europe. 7 days of pasta, pizza and potatoes ain't great. i prefer my rice. anyday =D that's why i don't have ang-mo boyfriends..
ended the nite with Haagen Daaz and pub crawling at Soho. but didn't managed to get in or drink.. too crowded!!!
28th May - London Tour
after a great Dim Sum lunch in the suburbs, courtesy of Zhang, we went to Oxford Street for shopping!!! wah!!! I LOVE (X3) LONDON!!! they have the 3 storey FCUK store!!! woohoo!!! so much stuff to see, to try and to buy!!! unfortunately everything's in Pounds. 1 GBP : S$ 3... ouch. only managed to buy a belt from FCUK. and a pair of Nike sneakers for 24 pounds. nice!!!
then, Zhang brought us out in his 'Tong Chong's London City Tour'. in his car. wahahah! so fun!!! drove along the Thames, saw Big Ben, Tate Modern, West Minster, Ferris wheel etc etc... nice!!!then had dinner at this restaurant at Chinatown called Chinese Experience. wah.. the strawberry pork ribs were fantastic!!! the grilled pork ribs with strawberry sauce was... oo00oo.. tantalizing on the taste buds..
i really like London. only regret? was there for less than 24hrs. didn't get to visit Tate Modern or take pictures at the Thames.. =(
to be continued...
the beaches of Dinard are pretty clean, the waters are clear, that you can see the seaweed in them. of coz, due to the cold breeze, there ain't many people sun tanning. most were wearing a light jacket. nothing compares to Koh Samui. warm fine sand, turquoise waters, rich marine life.. and it's alwiz sunny =D 
the Eiffel looks.. horrendous from near. it's this huge mess of steel. however from afar, it looks pretty elegant. Arc de Triomphe was alright.. well.. there's many many arcs in Paris city so nothing THAT impressive. the Louvre was packed with tourists and locals on the 
Sunday i went due to free entry, hence had to queue for 1.5hrs =/ the frescoes were painted on the ceiling.. doesn't take more than 3mins to give me a neck strain. Napolean had really huge stones on his crowns, plus excellent pearls for Josephine. Mona Lisa was... ermm.. quite small. those we've seen on the media have been blown up a gazillion times really. framed in a very big wall... it's kinda.. disappointing. 
maybe it's something in the air... 
